Marie Osmond: Women in My Family Usually Don't Make It Past 60

Less than a year away from hitting the milestone, the ‘Paper Roses’ singer expresses her determination to stay healthy with a good diet and exercise regime.

AceShowbiz –
Veteran entertainer Marie Osmond is determined to stay on top of her health and fitness because few women in her family have survived past the age of 60.

The “Paper Roses” singer will hit the age milestone this October, and as she approaches the big birthday, she is trying to stay positive about her future by maintaining a good diet and exercise regime.

Health has become a particular concern for her family in recent months as her brother Jimmy Osmond is recovering from a December (18) stroke, a medical crisis older sibling Virl, 73, also faced not long ago, while 71-year-old brother Tom underwent major heart surgery, and singer Donny Osmond, 61, is currently recuperating following a shoulder operation, although his was planned.

“This year’s been interesting: my brother Virl had a stroke, Jimmy’s had a stroke, and my brother Tom had a quadruple bypass, and so there are things genetically – heart issues are something that runs in my family, but they’re all going and keeping going,” she told U.S. news show Access Hollywood.

Marie explains heart problems have particularly plagued the females in the Osmond clan for generations.

“It’s one of the things that takes women in my family – they usually don’t make it past 60, so it’s a serious issue and we don’t take it as seriously as we should, but when they say you have your health, you have everything, it’s true,” she said.

As a result, Marie, who is a spokesmodel for diet firm Nutrisystem, tries to highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy weight to minimise such ailments later in life.

“I’m a very positive woman…, and this empowerment thing that’s going on for women is great, ‘I love my size, whatever it is,’ but I encourage women especially to realise that if you get (too heavy), that’s a heart attack and stroke waiting to happen,” she warned.

Having previously credited Nutrisystem with helping her to lose 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms), Marie insists she’s in the best shape of her life.

“Really, truly right now in my life, I feel better than I did in my 30s, so to stay active and reinvent yourself all the time, it’s important to help your body and then it affects your mind and then it affects your soul,” she smiled.